The Winter Clan
by Hex the Espeon
Summary: My first fic. An Espeon finds a wounded Mightyena, and takes him back to her clan. The clan accepts him, but things aren't as peaceful as they seem. And it may take an outsider to save the clan from its greatest enemy: itself.
1. Discovery in the Snow

Chapter 1: Discovery in the Snow

"Ha ha! Look at all the snow!" the young Eevee exclaimed as she frolicked in the field. "Yes, yes, it's very nice. And cold. Stay within sight, please, Icicle," an exasperated Espeon said. She doubted whether the Eevee heard or not. Hex couldn't blame her for being excited. It was Icicle's first time playing in snow, after all.

Hex glanced around. It was a nice, crisp day, with a small breeze playing through the field. The afternoon sun gave the snow a dazzling appearance, one that made you think you could go blind if you stared too long. A sudden gust of wind hit Hex, making her shiver a little. She briefly wondered whether she would ever get used to the cold. Living in the cold north as an Eevee hadn't bothered her at all. Of course then, she'd had a nice thick coat. Evolution had made Hex stronger, faster, and more unique, but it also made her constantly cold. _At least, _she thought, _I'm getting used to it._ And that was true. Also, evolving right before winter hit probably also had something to do with that. She shook her head, thinking about the cold wouldn't make her warm, she decided. Hex needed to take action.

Grinning slightly, she telekinetically raised a ball of snow, and looked at Icicle, who was still carelessly jumping around. She "threw" the ball at Icicle, giggling when the little Eevee was knocked over. "Auntie Hex! I'm gonna get you for that!" She shouted. Hex laughed harder at her niece's angry face. She looked down right adorable. "You'll have to catch me first!" Hex laughed, before running away. Icicle gave chase, running as fast as her little legs would carry her. Hex and Icicle ran a little ways into the woods before Icicle plopped down, panting heavily. "You're too fast," she complained. "I'll never catch you…" Hex sat next to her, and wrapped her tail around her. "Don't say that, you're already the fastest Eevee in the clan. You just have to think a little. How can you catch up to me? Maybe one of your moves will help?" Icicle thought for a moment. "Maybe if I use… Quick Attack!" she said, springing onto all fours. "Atta girl, Icicle. Now where were we?" Hex grinned, before sprinting off.

Icicle once again chased her, this time her speed increased dramatically by Quick Attack. Her speed increased so much, in fact, Hex herself had to use Quick Attack as well, though, not at full power. Enough to keep Icicle barely a tail's length away. Hex ran into a clearing, where she saw a black shape in the snow. "What in the…?" she muttered, stopping, and taking no notice as Icicle collided into her. "Ouch. Why'd you stop, Auntie Hex?" Icicle asked, pulling herself up from the snow. She noticed the shape in the snow. "Hey, what's that?" she asked, running forward to investigate. "Icicle! Get back here!" Hex shouted. Icicle stopped a foot from the shape, her ears and tails drooping as she cowered a little. "But Auntie Hex, it's a pokemon…"

Hex walked forward cautiously, standing between her niece and whatever was lying in the snow. Upon closer inspection, Hex realized Icicle was right. The pokemon was a canine, she thought, with grey and black fur. She Also realized this pokemon had seen better days. There were cuts and bite marks, along the pokemon's body. There was also a scar over it's left eye. The scar at least, looked old. "Is it…dead?" Icicle asked. Hex didn't reply, and instead reached out with her mind, at the body. Surprisingly, she found she couldn't contact it telepathically. _It's a dark type_, she realized. The shape looked familiar to her, and she finally figured out what it was. "It's a Mightyena," she said to Icicle. "And he's hurt, bad."

The Mightyena coughed suddenly, making both girls jump. Hex crouched beside his head. "I'm Hex" she said softly, "I'm going to try to help you. What's your name?" The Mightyena coughed again, more violently this time, before choking out "Jackal…" The Mightyena, Jackal, faded out of consciousness again, and Hex began to fear it would be for the last time. Icicle had tears in her eyes, and looked scared out of her mind. "Icicle, touch my side," she said, placing a paw on Jackal. "We're heading back home." Icicle did as she was told, and Hex teleported herself, her niece, and the mysterious, wounded stranger back to her clan.

**Well, there it is. The first chapter of my first story. Feel free to review. Flame if you feel the need. I just want feedback. I apologize for the short chapter, I'll try to make the next one longer. No promises, though. Love, Hex**


	2. To Heal or Not To Heal

Chapter 2: To Heal or Not To Heal

Glacia rolled onto her side, reveling in her chance to be alone. She was laying outside her den, a small cave, without a care in the world, at least, until her sister and daughter came back. She sighed, looking at the position of the sun. They were due back soon, and her moment of solitude would be over. It wasn't like she didn't love her family, quite the opposite, she would die for them. But Glacia was young for a mother, and still wanted to have fun, which couldn't come often if she had to watch out for Icicle all the time. It was a good thing Hex took pity on her, and offered to watch Icicle a lot.

She slowly stood up, and shook herself, flakes of snow flying from her fur. She smiled softly at the thought of how Hex was freezing all the time, while she was in a constant state of comfort due to her Glaceon body. She checked the sun again. Hex and Icicle were late, and that wasn't like her sister. Suddenly a flash of light shined briefly behind her, signaling someone had teleported. Glacia smiled and turned around, but that smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw Icicle's frightened expression, and a pokemon she didn't recognize with them.

"Hex, what's going on? Who's that?" she asked, while her daughter hid behind her. Hex turned towards her sister. "This is Jackal, a Mightyena. He's hurt, and I don't know if he can hold on much longer. Get Kai, quickly!" Glacia nodded and spun around, before sprinting out of the den.

She had to admire Hex's ability to think clearly under pressure. Getting Kai is probably the best course of action to take. Kai is a Vaporeon, and one of three pokemon in the entire clan able to use Wish. As Glacia and Hex's den is situated right next to the river, it shouldn't be hard to find him. Sure enough, she saw the Vaporeon basking in the shallows of the river.

"Kai, come quickly, we need you! A Mightyena is hurt" Kai stood up as fast as he could. He was getting old, and his scaly skin was turning a pale blue with age. "Your den, I would presume?" he said, starting forward. "What's this I hear about a wounded Mightyena?" a voice asked.

Glacia turned and saw the other two members of the clan able to use Wish, an Umbreon and Flareon, neither of which she liked. It was the Umbreon, Zabel, who spoke, and he was looking displeased with what he'd heard. He was a little on the small side, but one of the fastest and best battlers in the clan. Zabel also happened to be deputy of the clan, under Glacier, the commanding Glaceon. The Flareon on his right, Blitz, was big, making Zabel seem even smaller. Blitz would never win any awards for intelligence, but he was powerful, and head of the Winter Clan Troops, who were all Flareon, ironically. "You heard right, Zabel," Glacia said, suppressing a sneer, "He's hurt, and may die unless he gets help. Come on Kai." She said turning away from the duo. Kai once again started forward, but was stopped by Blitz stepping in front of him.

"Glacia, what's the rule about outsiders in our clan?" Zabel asked, a glint in his eye. Glacia gritted her teeth and recited "All outsiders on our territory must be taken to the clan leader to be determined if they should be executed for trespassing, or be allowed to continue on their way. But Zabel, he may die-"

"I don't care, Glacia, rules are rules. Blitz, get the clan leader, will you?" Zabel asked. Blitz nodded and warned Kai "Stay here," before sprinting off. Glacia stamped her foot in irritation before pacing back and forth. Kai sat down frowning slightly, but didn't move otherwise. Zabel looked as if he was enjoying himself immensely. Blitz came back shortly followed by a Glaceon that looked even older than Kai, but still quite able to do whatever his clan needed of him.

Glacia stopped pacing and said quickly "Glacier, a Mightyena is wounded and needs medical assistance. He may die!" The last part came out as a yell, making several others look over in interest. Glacier nodded, deep in thought. "Zabel, what do you know of this?"

Zabel spoke up, a troubled look on his face. "Not much more than you, sir. Glacia was going to Kai, to get him to try to heal this Mightyena. Why she didn't try to come to me or Blitz first is beyond me, sir."

Glacia snorted. "Oh please, you would have watched him die!"

Glacier frowned, "Glacia, my dear, please. Show your deputy some respect. Now, take me to see this Mightyena. I must judge his condition before coming to a decision. Kai, you won't be needed for this, you may continue whatever you were doing before." Kai nodded respectfully, shooting Glacia a worried glance, before heading back into the river. Glacia then led Glacier, Zabel, and Blitz back to her den.

Hex turned around when she heard movement from the entrance. "There you are, what took so-" she paused when she saw who else was there. "Why are you all here? Where's Kai? Jackal needs help!" Glacier held a paw for quiet. "I need to see whether or not this Mightyena should be allowed to be healed or not." Hex opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Glacier circled Jackal, examining the wounds on his body. "Has he spoken to you at all?" Glacier asked, pausing in his examination at the scar on Jackal's eye.

"He told me his name was Jackal. But other than that, no. Please, sir, we must try to help him!" Hex pleaded. Glacier stepped away from Jackal, eyes glazed over in thought.

"I doubt he'll survive, Hex. But, I hate to see another pokemon die. Zabel, Blitz, both of you perform your Wish techniques on him. If he survives, we'll question him, and then I'll decide on his fate." Zabel looked furious, but did as he was told. He and Blitz closed there eyes, and muttered quickly under their breath. An orb of light shot up from each of them, before disappearing. They waited for the orbs to reappear, the tension so thick, Icicle, who was hiding in a corner, fancied it could be cut with a Scyther's blade. The orbs reappeared, and then floated into Jackal's body. The cuts and wounds disappeared, but he didn't wake up. "He's in Mew's hands now." Glacier muttered. Zabel had a triumphant look on his face, when there were sudden cries of terror outside in the clan. All but the still unconscious Jackal and Icicle rushed outside. Eons were running around in terror as a group of Abomsnow and Snover attacked the clan. "Damn it to Giratina!" Blitz shouted as he ran forward, trying to organize what Flareon troops he came across.

We were overdue for an attack. I wondered when this would happen…" Glacier said, running forward.

"Don't just stand there, you two! Defend your Clan!" Zabel shouted, hurtling himself at a couple of Snover. Hex and Glacia shook their heads, and ran side by side and threw themselves into the fray.

**And there it is, second chapter. The next one will have a bit of action in it, I assure you. See ya next time! Love, Hex**


	3. Awakening

Chapter 3: Awakening

Hex blasted a Snover with Psybeam, sending it flying into one of its kin. They got up, and glared at her angrily. They both attempted to hit her with a dual Icy Wind, but she dodged to the side using Quick Attack. She lifted them using Psychic, and smashed them together. They fell to the ground, and didn't get up. Hex smirked, when all of a sudden, a vicious hailstorm started up.

She looked over anxiously at her sister, who had just taken out her own pair of Snover with a couple Ice Beam attacks. Glacia frowned, and indicated to some Winter Clan Troops. They were trying to use Sunny Day, but due to the massive amount of Snover and Abomsnow, the hailstorm was winning out. Finally, the Flareon just gave up, and launched themselves at the attackers.

"This is going badly," Glacia said to Hex. Due to the weather, and her ability, Glacia was nearly invisible. Hex nodded grimly, and kept a few brave Snover at bay with Psybeam, all the while ignoring the stinging hail. Hex and Glacia might have been holding their own, but the rest of the clan wasn't.

Due to being the official guards of the clan, the Flareon were taking on the Abomsnow. Normally, this would be an easy task. However, due to the sheer number of Abomsnow, plus the massive amount of hail limiting visibility, things weren't going well. Blitz was valiantly fending off three of them himself, but two of them kept blasting him back with Water Pulse. This was preventing him from getting a good hit with Fire Fang or Flamethrower. Zabel was using his speed to lash out hits, and then retreat before his opponents could lock onto him. Though this strategy was effective, he was still getting hit from Magical Leaves, and he himself couldn't get very many powerful hits out. Kai and the few other Vaporeon were guarding the Glaceon who weren't fighting; mostly the children and elderly.

Hex took all this in, and started to fear a little for her clan. She glanced around, looking for another target, when Glacia shouted out, "Glacier!" Hex whipped around, and saw Glacier being ganged up on several Snover and Abomsnow. He was giving the fight all he had, but the constant attacks were starting to fatigue him. Hex and Glacia nodded to each other, and sprinted forward to help.

Glacia jumped at the nearest Snover, but was swatted aside by an Abomsnow's Brick Break. She flew into snow bank, and lay there groaning. "Hey!" Hex yelled, and blasted the Abomsnow with several Psybeams. She was so focused on avenging her sister that she left herself open for attack. Another Abomsnow smashed its fist into her while using Ice Punch. She sailed through the air, and landed on her side. The Ice Punch froze her where it struck, and prevented her from getting up. Hex could have easily broken the ice with her psychic powers, but the extreme cold prevented her from concentrating. As she lay there struggling in vain, the Abomsnow loomed over her. "End of the line," the behemoth said cruelly. Hex looked at it, terrified and helpless. It raised its fist over its head, glowing white in preparation for using one last Ice Punch. Hex closed her eyes, and waited for the end.

Hex heard a grunt of pain, and a fierce growl. She opened her eyes, and almost couldn't believe what she saw. Jackal stood there in front of her, growling deeply, and giving the Abomsnow a look of pure hatred. The Abomsnow in question was glaring at Jackal, clutching its shoulder, where it had evidently been hit. "Clear out," Jackal snarled. The Abomsnow laughed. "Ya gonna make me?"

Jackal responded by rushing at it, teeth ablaze in a Fire Fang attack. The Abomsnow swung a fist at him, but Jackal easily side-stepped it and bit down on its arm. The Abomsnow roared, and flailed its arm wildly. Jackal held fast for a while, and then let go, whipping back towards the Abomsnow as he landed. Its arm was badly burned from the fight, and it grimaced in pain. "You'll pay for that!" It shouted, running at Jackal in an all out Wood Hammer. Jackal Dug underground right before the Abomsnow reached him, and immediately reappeared once it had gone by. He fired off a couple quick Dark Pulses, and once again dug underground to dodge a barrage of Magical Leaves. "Show yourself, coward!" the Abomsnow yelled out when Jackal didn't reappear. It walked around, occasionally stomping the ground, or whipping around to face his opposite side. "Weakling! Face me like a real pokemon!" It shouted, slamming a fist against the ground. Upon contact, Jackal reappeared, and once again bit down with Fire Fang. The Abomsnow flailed yet again, but this time Jackal let go at the height of the swing of its arm, and was sent flying up into the air.

Hex watched in horror as the Abomsnow grinned evilly, and launched a full power Blizzard up at Jackal. She was helpless to stop it as the snow and ice rushed up at the Mightyena. But before it reached him, light and energy seemed to gather in Jackal's mouth, and he fired it off as a massive beam. The Hyper Beam attack cut through the Blizzard, and struck the Abomsnow before it could even register what was happening. Hex squeezed her eyes shut to avoid the blinding light. When she reopened them, Jackal was walking away from a smoking crater, where she assumed the Abomsnow was.

Jackal smashed the ice on her side, and helped her to her feet. "You okay?" he asked, without any of the venom he spoke to the Abomsnow with. In fact, his voice was filled with worry. "Yeah… I'm fine." Hex mumbled, averting her gaze. Jackal frowned, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a voice. "Well, look who woke up."

It was Zabel who spoke, and he walked up to them with Blitz. "Not bad, Mightyena. You actually managed to defeat that Abomsnow." He spoke with a sneer, which Jackal responded with a low growl. "At least I took down something. While I was fighting, I couldn't help but notice you running around without dishing out too many hits." Zabel glared at Jackal, and Blitz stepped forward threateningly, but before anything could happen, Glacier walked over, limping slightly. "Ah, you're awake I see. You took out that Abomsnow magnificently. Shame you awoke at the end of the battle."

Hex realized she wasn't hearing the sounds of the fight anymore. She looked around, and saw the clan trying to recover, without any signs of the attackers anywhere. "How did you escape all those Snover and Abomsnow?" she asked Glacier. "Blitz and Zabel came to my rescue. The three of us managed to shake them all off," Glacier responded with a nod towards the two eons. Zabel grinned smugly at Jackal.

Glacier turned again towards Jackal. "Now, on to business. I must speak with you. I have a few questions, and I hope you can answer them. At dusk, meet me at my den." With that, he turned around, and walked over to some nearby Glaceon. Zabel and Blitz too turned around, and left to help heal some of the wounded.

Hex looked at Jackal as he stared at Glacier. He seemed to be deep in thought. "What's wrong? If you're worried about Glacier, then I can put your fears to rest. He's wise and fair, and won't harm you unless provoked." Jackal shook his head, and gazed at Hex, a tiny spark of fear and shame in his eyes. "I don't know if I can answer his questions." Jackal admitted. Hex was about to respond, but quickly shut her mouth as Jackal said, "I… can't remember anything before you found me in the woods."

**So... I have nothing to say. It's been, what, 2 or three months since this has been updated? And I'm only on the third chapter? Stuff happened in my personal life, and I had no inclination to do much of anything. But, I'm back, and I refuse to let anything like this happen again. I apologize yet again, and hope you enjoyed the chapter. Love, Hex**


	4. Touring the Clan

Chapter 4: Touring the Clan

Jackal looked down at his paws to avoid Hex's shocked look.

"Nothing? You can't remember anything at all?" She asked, pity barely detectable in her voice.

"Nothing but a lot of pain," Jackal admitted, meeting her eyes again. "If I try to think back, it's like the memories are just out of reach. They just slip away, like they're made of water."

Hex stepped a little closer. "Well, I promise you. I'll help you recover your memories." She paused, and blushed a little. "For whatever reason, I trust you. I don't think you were bad before your amnesia." She smiled a little uncertainly.

Jackal half-grinned back. "Thanks. It means a lot. I just hope your leader- Glacier, was it?- will believe me as well."

"If he's hesitant, I'll talk to him. One way or another, I'll see to it you stick around for a while." Hex looked at the ground for a moment, then back up at Jackal. "How about-" Her eyes widened suddenly. "Oh Mew… Glacia!"

She sprinted off towards where her sister had been knocked aside. Jackal followed close behind. He stopped beside Hex, who breathed a sigh of relief. A Glaceon was sitting in a vague Glaceon shaped imprint in the snow, licking a small Eevee that was rubbing up against her. Glacia paused in her licking to smile at her sister.

"There you are! I wondered where you got off to. After I got knocked aside, I saw you get blasted off somewhere by an Abomsnow. I would have-" she paused in her tale, because she was looking at Jackal as if noticing him for the first time. "Oh. You're awake. Uh… hi. I'm Glacia."

The little Eevee bounded up to Jackal, giggling. "Hiya! I'm Icicle!" She studied him closely, tail waggling furiously. Her eyes locking onto the scar on his eye. "How'd you get that?"

Glacia looked horrified. "Icicle! Be polite!" She scooped back the Eevee, who was looking rather dejected. She flashed Jackal a nervous smile. "I'm sorry, she's just a little hyper."

Jackal smirked. "It's fine, really." He leaned close to Icicle. "I got it from fighting a huge monster. One who enjoyed eating misbehaved Eevees!" Icicle squealed, and backed up as far as she could into her mother, gazing at Jackal in fear and wonder.

Jackal chuckled, and stood up straight, looking back at Glacia. "I'm Jackal. Pleasure to meet you."

Glacia again smiled nervously, and started to back away. "Same here. Uh, we best get going. Um, Icicle has to, ah…" she mumbled something incoherent, and dragged away a protesting Icicle back to their den.

Jackal frowned, and looked at Hex. "Did I do something wrong? I wasn't trying to be mean to her daughter…"

Hex was frowning as well, and was watching her sister and niece as they walked off. "I really don't know. She's usually very friendly." She shook her head, and smiled softly at Jackal. "So, like I was going to say before, how about I give you a tour of the clan?"

Jackal grinned, and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Hex led the way as she and Jackal headed over to the river.

"So, due to our location, and how the clan has been set up due to that, there are generally only three Eeveelutions that are found here. Obviously, there are Glaceon, such as my sister and our leader; there are Flareon, such as Blitz; and there are Vaporeon, such as Kai, our family's closest friend." They had arrived at the edge of the river, and Hex called out "Kai!"

Jackal waited for something to happen, but only the river moved as it coursed along its banks. "Where is he..?" He wondered aloud.

"Right here, of course," a voice said. Jackal took a step back, as a watery shape materialized out of the river. The water morphed into the shape of a Vaporeon, before solidifying, and becoming just that. The elderly pokemon frowned at Jackal. "You need to look with more than just your eyes, boy." Kai's voice was gruff, but he was sounded friendly enough.

Hex stepped forward, and rubbed her head against Kai's flank. "Hello, Kai. Fight go well for you?"

Kai's expression softened as he licked the top of Hex's head. "Of course. I may be old, but I've still got some fight in me." He examined Jackal closely. "You must be Jackal, then. I'd heard you weren't doing so good, but you seem fine now. What brings you around these parts?"

Jackal answered as Hex moved back to sit close to him. "I honestly don't know, sir. I… don't have any memory before Hex found me in the woods."

Kai cocked an eyebrow. "Well, that certainly seems like a problem. Hope that issue gets straightened out." He glanced back at the river. "As fun as this little chat is, I've gotta get back to fishing. Clan needs to eat especially well after a fight like that."

Hex nodded. "Of course. I just wanted to introduce you two. Good hunting, Kai!" She turned around, and looked at Jackal. "Come on, then."

Jackal was about to follow her, but Kai stopped him with his tail. Jackal gave him a questioning look. "Yes?"

Kai watched Hex as she walked off, and then locked eyes with Jackal. "Listen, boy. I saw your fight with that Abomsnow. You claim to not have any memories, and for some reason, I believe you. However, you fought incredibly well, and with a fair amount of power. A normal rogue pokemon, as you appear to be, doesn't usually fight like that." He narrowed his eyes at the Mightyena. "A word of caution, Jackal. I don't know what your life was like previous to coming here, but if your memories start flooding back, and they aren't particularly…pleasant, I'm warning you now: Stay away from this clan, and stay away from Hex. She's taken an interest in you, and I will _not _see her hurt. Understand?"

Jackal met Kai's fierce gaze evenly. He didn't really like what the elderly Eon was implying, but he understood where it was coming from. "I promise you, on our Mother Mew, I'll leave if that should be what my memories are like."

Kai nodded, and then his face broke into a grin. "Then I'll see you around." With that, he melted back into the river, and left Jackal standing there to ponder what he said.

"Jackal, you coming?" Hex called out, snapping him back to the real world.

"Yeah, sorry." Jackal called back.

When Jackal caught up, Hex continued on with her tour. "So, as you just saw, Kai is a Vaporeon. They are our hunters, and the ones charged with protecting our weaker clan mates if we are attacked."

They passed by a very large black dome structure, made out of some sort of rock. Flareon were walking in and out, and they were all serious and tough looking.

"What's that?" Jackal asked, sniffing the structure. It smelled like soot.

"That's one of the Flareon's barracks. They have others posted on the outside of the clan, and our territory, but this is the largest. It's made out of hardened magma, from their Lava Plume attacks. The Flareon act as our protectors and army. Blitz leads them. He's kind of a jerk, but he defends this clan with his life."

Jackal nodded slowly. That must take a while, and he was impressed by the ingenuity.

They walked by the structure, and Hex showed Jackal the rest of the clan. She showed him that most of the clan lived in igloo-like structures, or, if they were close to the river, they lived in domes made out of bent reeds. All the while, Hex told Jackal about her life in the clan. She and her sister were born from a Vaporeon and Flareon. Her father, the Vaporeon, was killed in an attack by the local Abomsnow tribe. Her mother disappeared into the woods shortly after.

"It was horrible," Hex told Jackal, her eyes dim. "We had just lost dad, and mom often took walks in the woods to clear her thoughts. Kai was watching Glacia and myself. She was supposed to be back by sunset, but she never showed up. The clan sent out search parties, but to no avail. I keep hoping she'll someday come back, but…" She sniffed her nose, and wiped a tear from her eye with her tail. Jackal pressed his body against hers for comfort, looking down at her, sadness in his eyes.

Hex took a deep breath, and regained her composure. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

Jackal frowned slightly, but didn't know what to say. "Uh, I was wondering," he said, trying to get Hex's mind of her mother, "You said there were usually only three kinds of Eeveelutions in the clan. Why is that?"

Hex laughed softly, mostly back to normal. "Because they either can't exist, or can't evolve here. Our Flareon warriors and Vaporeon hunters are able to evolve because there are hot springs near here that hold a huge deposit of Water and Fire Stones. We can evolve into Glaceon, due to obvious reasons. Leafeon wouldn't survive up here, and there aren't any Thunder Stones near here."

Jackal nodded, and asked, "Why aren't there more Espeon and Umbreon, then?"

Hex laughed again. "Same reason there aren't any Leafeon. It's way too cold for the short fur that comes with those two evolutions. My own evolution was an accident." She blushed a little. "Icicle, as much as I love her, has a tendency to run off. She escaped one day, and was lost in the woods for a day. Glacia and I were horrified that something had happened to her. Finally, after hours of searching, through day and night, I found her sleeping in the base of a tree. I was so relieved and grateful, I evolved as the sun rose."

Jackal chuckled, and Hex blushed some more. "Hey, I was worried!" She looked at the sky, and sighed. "The sun's going down. It's time for you to speak with Glacier."

Jackal sighed as well. He had been enjoying his time with Hex. But, all good things must come to an end. Hopefully, Glacier would allow him to stay, and he could be with Hex some more.

"All right, Hex. Lead the way."

**Fourth chapter, for your viewing pleasure! The workings of the clan, and a little bit of Hex's history is brought into the light. Also, I would like to thank my first ever reviewers. Seeing those literally made me smile ear to ear. I tried taking the advice of lengthening the chapters, and of spreading out the paragraphs for when characters talk. I didn't succeed as much as I would have liked, but it's a start, right? I'll see you all later! Love, Hex**


	5. Decision

Hex and Jackal walked side by side in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. There was a common theme among both of them: Glacier's decision. What if he said Jackal was too much of a threat, and decided to kill him? Or if he was allowed to live, would he be allowed to stay?

Hex's answer to those questions was hopeful. She thought she knew her leader fairly well. And he would never have a pokemon be killed that saved one of his own clan. That much she was certain about. About Jackal being allowed to stay… That was a different story. Jackal showed a lot of battle prowess, fighting smart and hard. The clan could use someone like him. Then again, Jackal didn't have his memories. For all anyone knew, he could be a vicious killer. Hex hated to think like that, but she knew Glacier would be. And it worried her.

Jackal, on the other hand, was much less optimistic. He was certain he was going to be killed. A random pokemon no one knew anything about walking around the clan, looking as ragged as he did? Pokemon who saw him already shied away at the sight of his scar. He was feared, and that wouldn't do to have around. Even on the off chance he was allowed to live, he couldn't stay. He was too much of a risk to the safety of the Eons around him.

And then there was the most obvious reason of all. Not even Jackal knew what his life was like before Hex found him. He could have been a wanted pokemon, known for killing anyone who crossed him. Maybe he belonged to a trainer? That seemed likely. How many wild Mightyena ran around knowing the moves he did? Fire Fang? Hyper Beam? And as Jackal thought about it, he realized he knew more moves wild pokemon don't generally know.

His face darkened as he thought to himself, and that worried Hex. They had arrived at Glacier's den, and it wouldn't help his chances if he walked in looking pissed off. She decided she'd try and distract him quickly, before they went inside.

"Hey, Jackal…" she said, not quite sure what she should say.

"Yeah…?" Jackal responded a little annoyed, snapping back to reality.

"Uh… How many apples can a Poliwag hold?" Hex mentally slapped herself. Did she really just ask that?

"How…many?" Jackal replied, incredibly confused at the question.

"None. They don't have any paws!" Hex gave a ridiculously big smile, making a mental note to smash her face against a wall.

Jackal stared at her in silence, and Hex began to sweat nervously, when all of a sudden he burst out laughing.

"That... was… so… random!" He said between laughs. Hex smiled to herself. All traces of anger were gone from his face. She thought he had a really nice laugh.

"Well, we're here. I'll just let him know," Hex said still smiling a little. Jackal sobered up considerably, but his eyes were still glowing with amusement. Hex walked right up to the entrance, and called out, "Glacier, Jackal and I are here."

Hex jerked her head towards the entrance, and Jackal followed her inside. He was too busy being either ticked off or filled with mirth, he hadn't noticed where they were. Hex had led him to a large boulder, set in the middle of the clan. It was large and round on the bottom, and narrowed as it went up. Instead of going up until it ended in a point, it became flat and somewhat wide. Jackal assumed it was so Glacier, or whoever was in charge, could make announcements to all of the clan. The entrance itself was not into the boulder, but under it. The walls and floor were dirt, packed down from generations of pawsteps stamping it down.

Hex and Jackal emerged from the short tunnel into a large den. Actually, Jackal realized, "large" and "den" don't do it justice. The den, which was more like a chamber, was massive. Jackal fancied everyone in the clan could fit down here with relative comfort. The floor was lined with moss and ferns, so it was one large bedding area. Jackal looked around, impressed.

"You look taken with my private quarters, Jackal," Glacier said, stepping out of the shadows towards the duo. He paused at the look of shock on Jackal's face, and then chuckled deeply as he sat down. "Only kidding! This is where I sleep, but it is also the emergency shelter of all of the clan. We've had to come down here three times in our history, and it saved us each time. Thankfully, never during my time as the leader. However, it is maintained by the leader solely, to show our own dedication to the clan. It is no light task." Glacier paused, and gave Jackal a long, hard look. "Why would I tell you this?"

Jackal glanced at Hex, who was sitting with a small frown on her face. Evidently, she didn't know either, and was trying to figure it out. Jackal looked back at Glacier who had an expectant look on his face. Jackal stood, and tried to form and answer to the wise Glaceon's question.

"Because…" Jackal said, speaking slowly." Because… you're telling me that everyone in their clan does their part, even the leader himself?" Jackal saw Hex give him a smile out of the corner of his eye.

Glacier smiled as well, in an approving manner. "Exactly. Nice to know that you're not an idiot. Makes me feel better about having you saved." His smile faded, and he looked serious again. "Hopefully, intelligence won't be the only reason. I prefer actions over brains any day. You acted bravely by saving Hex here. Most would say that meant you're a good pokemon. But that's not always the case. She saved you, you saved her. That could have been the only logic behind that. Tell me. Why did Hex find you near death in the first place? What happened?" He paused a second time, and asked the question Jackal had been fearing most of all. "Who are you?"

Jackal met Glacier's eyes. He didn't respond immediately. He didn't notice Hex nervously twitching her tail. After a time, he spoke with as much honesty as he could.

"I don't know."

To Jackal and Hex's surprise, Glacier nodded. "I figured as much."

"Wait, how could you have seen that coming?" Hex burst out, jumping to her feet and staring incredulously at her leader.

"Because, my dear Hex, he seemed too lost. And not in terms of place, but in terms of mind. No one who knows who they are and what's going on sticks that close to someone they just met, even if their life was saved. Kai and Glacia told me how Jackal stayed by your side after he woke up. I knew it had to be something like memory loss."

Glacier glanced at the two dumbstruck pokemon in front of him.

"And it may have had something to do with the fact Kai told me right before I met with you now."

Glacier chuckled and shook his head, and spoke in a more serious tone, but not as much as before. "And so, now I have to decide what to do with you. But first, one last question. What do you want?"

Jackal was taken aback by the question. Not by the fact it appeared his fate was in his own paws, but it was that he didn't actually know what he wanted. He was worried his past was nothing pleasant, and he didn't want to jeopardize the pokemon around him. He glanced at Hex once more, whose eyes immediately locked onto his. He looked at her, and she at him. His eyes filled with uncertainty, and hers with pleading. Jackal finally sighed, and said "I guess I'll stay. If only because Hex needs someone to protect her."

Jackal heard a low growl come from the Espeon's direction, and Glacier smiled and nodded. "Then, it's settled. I have no qualms about you staying. As long as you can pull your own weight, of course. You said it yourself," the ice type gestured to the chamber with his tail, "We all do our part in this clan."

Glacier stood up, and Hex did as well. Jackal realized he had been standing all this time. He suddenly felt a little awkward.

"Hex, find a place for Jackal to live. And tomorrow, see if the clan has any jobs for him." Glacier flicked his tail towards the tunnel, signaling it was time for the two to leave. Hex lead the way, and as Jackal was about to enter, he heard Glacier call out one last thing.

"Oh, and by the way. Welcome to the Winter Clan."

**Let's play a game. It's called, No One Ever Speak of the Fact That I Haven't Updated This in a Year. Sound good? Good! Hope you enjoyed this! Love, Hex (who will desperately try to actually finish this soon)**


	6. Job Hunting

The moment Jackal stepped outside of the tunnel leading into the chamber; a large snowball pelted him in the face. He coughed and spluttered for a moment, before asking, "What was that for?"

"Saying I needed to be watched out for." Hex replied coolly. She looked slightly irritated, but still smiled wide. "But whatever. You get to stay! That's great!"

Jackal grinned broadly, and said mischieviously, "Wait until Zabel finds out."

Hex smiled maliciously. "Let's inform him then, shall we?"

The two set off, stars beginning to sparkle in the sky above. As they searched for the Umbreon, Hex showed Jackal more of the clan. Specifically where the food was kept, herbs and medicinal berries stored, and where to do your "business". Finally, just as Hex was about to call it quits, Zabel slunk up to them, coming from between some reeds from the nearby river, a Magikarp in his mouth.

"Oh no, don't tell me you've been allowed to stay?" Zabel sneered, after spitting the Magikarp to the ground. Hex grinned impishly, while Jackal looked quite smug.

"Yes sir, _deputy_. Glacier said he could stay, as long as he can pull his own weight. Something I know some of our _smaller_ clanmates have trouble doing."

Zabel raised himself to his full, still unimpressive height, and growled softly. "Careful, Hex. You're lucky our wise leader likes you so much. Otherwise, there may be another disappearance in your family."

Hex and Zabel glowered at each other, before Zabel snorted, and picked up his fish, briskly walking away with it. Jackal had watched the whole thing silently. When he had made the barbed comment about Hex's family, he almost ripped the fellow dark type's throat out.

Jackal opened his mouth to say something comforting to Hex, but she merely sighed, and stood up.

"Don't worry about it, Jackal. Zabel is all bark, no bite. Come on, it's late. Tomorrow we'll find you a place to stay and job to do. You can stay in my den tonight."

Jackal nodded and remained silent as he followed Hex a little farther along the river, until they came to a cave in the earth, reeds slightly blocking the entrance. He'd been here before, but hadn't gotten a very good look at it. He was either unconscious, or sprinting out of it towards the sounds of battle.

The cave was fairly large. The floor was covered in moss and leaves, meaning you could sleep anywhere. Hex used a low power Flash to illuminate the den. Glacia and Icicle were curled up next to each other, Icicle sleeping soundly. Glacia snapped her head up when the light appeared. She smiled at her sister, but froze when she caught sight of Jackal.

"Sis? Why is he here?"She asked slowly. Jackal thought he heard fear in her voice.

"Oh, he'll be here for the night. Tomorrow I'll find him a den, but it's getting late, and the two of us are going to be busy," Hex answered, yawning as she finished. Glacia narrowed her eyes into slits, and shifted her position so she was between Jackal and Icicle. Hex hadn't noticed, as she was making her own bed by scooping moss and leaves into a comfy cushion. Jackal frowned at Glacia, and decided he'd talk with her the next morning. Hex smiled at him as he laid down.

"Good night Jackal. Congratulations on being welcomed into our clan." She smiled genuinely, and Jackal grinned back.

"G'night Hex. See you in the morning."

And so, two of the three Pokémon fell asleep. The third kept her eyes and ears wide open, in case the newcomer should try to hurt her daughter.

Jackal awoke the next morning by himself. He got up, and sniffed at the spots where Hex, Glacia, and Icicle had slept. They're scent was still mostly fresh, they'd only been gone an hour or so. Jackal shook himself, and cleaned his coat, getting rid of all the loose moss and such clinging to his fur. Once he was presentable, he left the cave.

Once outside, he realized he had no idea what he should be doing. Pokemon were starting to give him looks because he was just standing there, when he was saved by Hex, walking up briskly to meet him.

"Good, you're awake. I've got a list of things for you to try out, to see what job you can do for the clan. We'd better get going." And she turned quickly, heading for the riverbed. Jackal followed just behind her. Despite appearing to be all business, Jackal could tell she was excited. Hex's tail was swishing back and forth quickly, nearly flicking him on the nose when it did.

They stopped at the river, Hex wading in a little ways. She gestured for Jackal to do the same, and called out "Kai!"

As Jackal walked out to join Hex, he peered into the water, trying to spot the Vaporeon before it materialize right in front of him.

"Boy, what are you doing?" Kai's voice asked.

"Trying to find you…" Jackal muttered, staring intensely at the water.

"Well, it would help if you looked up."

Jackal did, and looked right into the eyes of Kai, who had a cocked eyescale.

"Spotting a Vaporeon underwater isn't easy, boy. Three passed right in front of your muzzle, and you didn't notice. Let's hope that means you aren't terrible at spotting fish." Kai walked farther out into the river, until he was forced to swim. "Well, come on. I'm determined to meet my quota for today, and I won't have you messing that up."

Jackal glanced at Hex, who waded past, saying, "Don't worry. Kai taught me and Glacia how to catch fish. You'll be fine."

Jackal nodded, and walked until only his head was above water. Hex and Kai were both treading water, waiting for him to get there. The river was very wide, and Jackal guessed, very deep. Still, he wasn't afraid. He lunged forward, pumping his legs confidently, swimming out to meet the duo eeveelutions.

And that's when he sank to the bottom of the river.

The next thing Jackal knew, he was on dry land, sputtering and coughing up water from his lungs. Once his fit stopped, he opened his eyes, and saw Hex's worried face inches above his own.

"Jackal! Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim?"

"Hex. I don't think he knew," Kai said, coming into view.

"Oh. Right…" Hex bit her lip, and helped Jackal to his feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah… But I don't think that'll be my contribution to the clan." Jackal said, smirking as he unsteadily rose. Hex let out a choked giggle, and Kai grinned.

"Perhaps not, boy. Still, you're learning to swim. It's a useful thing to know. Especially with THIS," Kai gestured to the river, "Right here."

Jackal nodded, but felt suddenly uneasy at the prospect of being back in the water.

"We'll have to worry about that later, Kai. Seeing as this was a bust, we'll have to try one of the other jobs I found open." Hex spoke briskly, and was back in business mode. It seemed to Jackal she was a little too brisk when she spoke, but he nodded all the same. They said their goodbyes to Kai, and headed off.

The next Job, Jackal found out, was caring for the elderly pokemon who could no longer support the clan. These eons, however, were very old-fashioned. They were of the old eeveelution way of thinking, that they were supreme to all other pokemon. And that no pokemon other than an eeveelution was allowed to join their clan. Jackal was forced to run out of their den, Ice Beams, Flamethrowers, and Water Guns right behind him.

Next, They stopped by the barracks. Blitz happened to be walking out when they arrived, and changed direction to meet them.

"I'm sorry. I'm under orders that the newcomer," Blitz glared at Jackal as he spoke, "Is not allowed to join our ranks. Not until he has more than proved himself to be completely trustworthy."

"Who ordered that?" Hex asked angrily, before answering her own question. "Zabel. Of course. Come on, Jackal."

Jackal once again walked away without some sort of job, and Hex was visibly worried. They continued moving throughout the clan, to places where Hex had found out someone needed to be replaced. Time and time again, they were turned down. Pokemon were either afraid of Jackal, or were under Zabel's orders not to let him do things until he was "trustworthy."

"Oh, come on! Cleaning our waste isn't harmful to the clan at all!"

"Sorry, miss. Ah'm under Zabel's orders…" The funny talking Eevee bowed and walked off, leaving a fuming Hex and slightly relieved Jackal. Jackal opened his mouth to make a joke to cheer her up, when a rock Hex was glaring at broke in half from psychic force. He promptly shut his mouth, and frowned.

"Hey! You lot get back here!" A weathered voice said. Jackal turned towards it, and watched an old Glaceon chasing a bunch of kits as they ran away from her, shrieking in joy. They all ran passed an amused Jackal, the Galceon plopping onto the ground, muttering, "I'm too old for this."

Jackal smirked, and jumped to his feet. He watched the litter of kits run past a den of logs, and ran ahead of them. Peering around until they were just in front of him, he jumped out, yelling "Boo!" The kits screamed, and ran back the way they came, hiding behind the wizened Glaceon who had finally stood up, with the help of Hex.

"I hope everyone is accounted for." Jackal said, grinning, looking over the kits. They were no longer scared, instead they looked in awe of the stranger. There were about ten of them, seven boys, three girls of roughly the same age. Among them was a kit, who bounded forward, beaming.

"Jackal! Auntie Hex!" Icicle jumped up and down in joy at seeing them. "You're really scary Jackal! Where did you come from? I didn't even see you before you jumped out! Can you teach me to be sneaky? Then I can get all the snacks I want from Miss Glimmer!"

The old Glaceon finally spoke up, and it was to hush Icicle. "You certainly will NOT be getting any of the snacks I have for you." Glimmer glared at all the kits. "NONE of you. What were you thinking, just running off? If it wasn't for the nice Mightyena here scaring you all back, you could have gotten hurt!"

All the kits, even Icicle, looked down in shame. Jackal frowned in pity. He would have like to say something, but it wasn't his place. Hex, on the other hand, had no such problem.

"Glimmer, maybe they just needed to run around. You aren't as young as you once were. Keeping up with them is hard. I have trouble sometimes with Icicle. Maybe you should get some help. One who can run around and play with them…?" Hex finished with a slight nudge of her head to Jackal, who pretended not to notice.

Glimmer narrowed her eyes at Jackal, and started circling him. "What do you know of kits, Mightyena?"

Jackal gulped, and looked pleadingly at Hex for help. She took a step back. He was on his own.

"Uh… They require attention."

"Obviously, dark type. What else?"

"They're a big responsibility. They need to have food, and shelter…"

"Are we talking about kits or a garden, Mightyena?"

Jackal frowned. This Glaceon was starting to annoy him.

"Excersise, and-"

"A kit _can_ be perfectly safe without ever leaving the den, idiot."

Jackal suppressed a growl. She was REALLY aggravating. Glimmer smirked, and got a glint in her eye. "You don't have what it takes." She leaned closer to Jackal's ear, and muttered, "I'll just take my brats and go. Icicle needs to be punished for leading the little whelps away from the den."

Jackal's eyes opened wide. He let out a savage growl, and stepped between Glimmer and the kits, who crouched down low in fear. Glimmer raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What are you doing, Mightyena?"

"You won't touch them." He spoke low, and his tone was deadly seriously. Hex started forward, but stopped suddenly, confusion forming on her face. Sshe backed away, and stayed silent.

"What? You'd protect them?" Glimmer asked, the glint appearing again in her eye.

"With my life," Jackal replied, crouching a little, in case he need to strike her down.

Glimmer glared at him for a while. Then, unexpectedly, she broke into a wide grin. "Good! Then you know what it takes to care for kits!"

Jackal just stared at Glimmer, dumbfounded. Hex giggled, and stepped forward. "She told me what she planned when I read her mind to see if she actually was hostile. What kits NEED is someone to lay their life down for them."

"More than exercise, or attention, or love even. They need a defender." Glimmer spoke without a trace of doubt in her voice. This is what she believed, wholeheartedly. "It's about time I retired. And I'd like you, Jackal, to take my place."

The kits, who were thoroughly confused by this point, bounded towards Jackal with joy. They all started speaking at once, Icicle being louder than any of the others.

"You'll be watching us now?"

"How'd you get that scar?"

"Can we have more snack times?"

"Jackal, do I get to be second in command because I knew you first?"

Jackal started to panic as he was pelted by more and more questions, kits bouncing all around him. He suddenly regretted played along with Hex's ploy to get this job. Glimmer saved him, however, by letting out a sharp whistle.

"Enough, enough. You can talk to Jackal tomorrow, when he takes over. For now, it's back to the den. Who wants fried Magikarp?"

The easily distracted kits began jumping around Glimmer as she led them home. She winked at Jackal, and mouthed, "Welcome to hell!" before cackling. Hex beamed at Jackal, and congradulated him on getting a place in the clan.

Jackal tried smothering himself in a snowbank.

**Yup. He gets to babysit kids. THAT is his contribution to the clan. A harder job than being a warrior or hunter, I assure you.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed chapter 6! And I'll see you next time. I'm thinking the next chapter needs more drama and fluff. ;D ~ Love, Hex**

**PS- Thank you to those who reviewed! You guys get extra love!**


End file.
